New Book features "Real Role Models"

My friend Ed Stewart, (in the middle) who is the managing director of corporate communications for Delta Airlines, is featured in the book "Real Role Models." The book introduces high school and college-age African Americans to twenty-three black professionals who have achieved a high level of success in their chosen fields and who tell their stories to inspire young people to pursue a professional career and do the work necessary to achieve their dreams. Some of the individuals profiled by Joah Spearman and Louis Harrison, Jr., include Leonard Pitts, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Miami Herald; Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council; Danyel Smith, editor-in-chief of Vibe; and Dr. Tim George, Chief of Pediatric Neuroscience at Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas. I haven't read the book yet, but I love the idea. While athletes and entertainers will always be looked at as role models, teenagers need someone they can reach out to and interact with and talk to. Someone who lives in their neighborhood or someone who goes to their church. Those are the people who really influenced me and helped me see that my goals and dreams really could be achieved. So congrats to the author and to Ed. You certainly are a great role model!